Monday, June 2, 2014

NOM: 'It's not tolerance, it's tyranny'

Brian Brown at last year's futile
'marriage march'

National Organization for Marriage is doing what National Organization for Marriage does. Attempting to obfuscate the simple truth that they seek to ban marriage equality, by force of law, at the behest of the Roman Catholic Church. The Church is a voluntary organization. Individuals are free to accept or reject its teachings. What kind of arrogance is required to attempt to impose those instructions on everyone else?

According to NOM's latest little Opus they are no different than the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (they actually include some footage of an SCLC march in the 60's). It's a fascinating bit of intellectual dishonesty. NOM is constantly claiming that we compare gay rights to to African-American civil rights struggle (we do not).

Yet here is NOM claiming that their quest for discrimination is a struggle for civil rights comparable to overturning Jim Crow. Moreover, the most notable participants in that struggle, like Congressman John Lewis, are proponents of marriage equality. It is they who see equal protection under the law as a universal doctrine. Lewis is the only living "Big Six" leader of the American Civil Rights Movement and he is on our side. Perhaps this time, NOM's bit of race baiting will demonstrate what we have known for years. They are cynical cowards hiding behind a cross.

To make their fatuous point, NOM turns (reliably) to the victims. Poor them. These are the folks who think that they have a right to determine which laws apply to them; Laws passed by their elected representatives. These are the people who want to do 75 MPH in a zone marked 55 per. God wants them to exceed the speed limit. Not only that but when they get a ticket they want to be seen as martyrs.

These are not heroes. They are bigots who are proud of their desire to isolate others. Once again, the real victims of any form of discrimination are those who are discriminated against. If your pharmacist happens to be a Scientologist he's still obligated to fill your prescription for Prozac. Nobody is forcing him to take the pills. You would think that some of these people are being forced to marry someone of the same sex.

Over the last two years, NOM has lost at the ballot and in the courts. There is no end in sight to their losses. The marriage march is certainly not what they claim which is something about letting voices be heard. Not at all. This is about finding a purpose to beg for money. That's it. NOM is now in the business of soliciting funds to stay in business. Their chairman, John Eastman, would like NOM to remain solvent. Donor money is going directly into his pocket as legal fees.

Of course, in the final analysis, NOM has always been an organizational drama queen. Brian, Maggie, Robby, Thomas, Ryan — the whole lot of them are wed to the belief that they are the sword of The Almighty. How dare anyone disagree with them? Because when it comes to victimology, National Organization for Marriage is the biggest victim of all — real and imagined.